Creamy Chicken Sausage & Tortelloni Bake
with Zucchini, Crispy Panko & Scallions
- Eggs
- Milk
- Wheat
Think a big bowl of cheesy stuffed pasta can’t get any better? Think again! In this recipe, we toss tender, cheese-stuffed tortelloni with golden-brown sautéed zucchini in a velvety lemon-scallion cream sauce. Shower with panko breadcrumbs that crisp up to an enticing golden brown in the oven, and dig into a deliciously cozy vegetarian dinner idea that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
9 ounce
Tortelloni
(Contains: Eggs, Milk, Wheat)
9 ounce
Italian Chicken Sausage Mix
1 unit
Zucchini
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lemon
1 clove
Garlic
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 ounce
Cheese Roux Concentrate
(Contains: Milk)
2 unit
Scallions
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Zest and quarter lemon.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken or sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes (7-10 minutes for 4 servings). • Add garlic and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more. • Turn off heat; transfer zucchini to a plate. Wipe out pan. Let pan cool for 1 minute.
Use pan used for chicken or sausage here.
• Once water is boiling, add tortelloni to pot. Cook until tender and floating to the top, 3-4 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• While tortelloni cook, melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in pan used for zucchini over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 1 minute. • Stir in cheese roux and ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4). (TIP: If tortelloni aren’t finished cooking, ladle pasta cooking water straight from pot.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. • Whisk in cream cheese, Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice (big squeeze for 4), and a pinch of lemon zest (save remaining lemon for another use!); season with pepper.
Once sauce is finished, stir in chicken or sausage.
• Stir tortelloni and zucchini into pan with sauce. If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. • Evenly sprinkle panko over tortelloni mixture. TIP: If pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer mixture to a baking dish now. • Bake on top rack until panko is golden brown, 2-4 minutes.
• Garnish tortelloni bake with scallion greens and drizzle with as much hot sauce as you like. Divide between plates and serve.
Chicken Sausage is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the dish's comforting taste, though some found it bland; consider adding extra herbs or spices for more depth 🌿.
- Ease of prep: While some found it a bit more hands-on, most agreed the delicious result was worth the effort.
- Suggestions: Try adding spinach and mushrooms for extra veggies, or swap chicken sausage for regular or spicy sausage if preferred.
- Leftovers: Several mentioned it reheated well, with some even preferring the taste the next day.
- Texture: For a crunchier top, ensure panko is evenly spread and well-browned; some found the dish a bit dry, so consider adding extra sauce.
Reviews from our home cooks
We were split on this one. One of us LOVED it, while the other not so much. The Good: They found it warm and comforting, with a cozy mouth feel. The Bad: They found this lacking in flavor, even with a good amount of hot sauce. It all felt very one note.
I wasn't sure how much I would like this since I'm not a fan of dense pasta, but it was quite good and even heated up well the next day!
The Panko breadcrumbs didn't cook well in the oven to make the nice crunchy layer I was expecting, but everything else was delicious!
Had really great flavor but was too dry! It needs more of a sauce to it!
Everyone liked it! Even my pickiest eater liked the zucchini in it.
THIS dish was delicious and tasted even better the day after - yum!
Hubby loved it, I thought it was a little pasty & heavy...lol but delicious!
Love new recipes, and this will be a repeat in our house for sure!
This was amazing. Highly recommend it becoming a more regular rotation
The tortellini would have been absolutely perfect if I didn't add the meat to it. Not enough sauce and the meat didn't have great flavor with this recipe. I would get it again but no meat.
